The 15 Best TV Shows of 2015

Mad Men (AMC) The TV boom that began with The Sopranos faced a clear end—or the end of a particular era, at least—when Mad Men concluded this year. That's okay, though, because the show's final few episodes were among the best Matthew Weiner and company ever did, from Don Draper's return to listless womanizing to his ambiguously enlightened end. Mad Men's enigmatic final moment did something most TV can only aspire to: It continues to be thought-provoking.

Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central) Amy Schumer was ubiquitous this year: on movie screens in Trainwreck, at awards ceremonies, on Twitter. But the core of her appeal continues to be her eponymous sketch show, and that's where she shone brightest. Take the episode-length, dildo-filled 12 Angry Men parody, in which a jury of men debated whether the largely-unseen Schumer was hot enough to be on TV. It's a question that no one should have to answer—but just asking it, and interrogating the assumptions men bring to their media consumption in the process, was—no matter your feelings on Schumer's comedy—undeniably powerful.

Black-ish (ABC)Black-ish isn't the only high-energy sitcom tackling old school material with fresh eyes. It's not even the only one taking direct aim at race. Not even doing both of those things through a family! But Black-ish's cast is so committed to the show's combination of goofy enthusiasm and emotional resonance, and the writing so deft, with tricky subject matter, that it sets itself above the rest. Black-ish is smart, yes, but it's also fun.

BoJack Horseman (Netflix) Netflix's best show takes the infamous "no hugging, no learning" rule for post-Seinfeld comedy and turns it into a mental obstacle for profoundly depressed people. BoJack Horseman's masterful second season finds its characters both more materially satisfied and more unhappy than ever—then refuses to let them learn, though it does let them try. (Also, there are extremely dense and funny jokes about cartoon animals.)

Broad City (Comedy Central)Broad City has had to bear a lot of weight as a culturally significant show, but amid that (justified) scrutiny it's easy to forget the best thing about the show: it's hilarious. The second season found best friends Abbi and Ilana increasingly liberated to do whatever they hell they wanted, and the results were dynamite. In a single episode, a perfectly cast Susie Essman and Bob Balaban stole the show as Ilana's parents while Abbi floundered in a delightfully sex-positive, pitch-perfect plot about pegging. More like that, please.

Empire (Fox) There are a lot of reasons for Empire's ratings dominance, but the most compelling is that it's practically perfected the modern soap. Each episode runs through utter insanity, from kidnappings to double-crosses to spontaneous rap battles, and functions like the TV equivalent of intense cardio. For the most part, you never feel compelled to watch them twice. But that's okay—it's about the moment.

Hannibal (NBC) The third and final season of Bryan Fuller's Hannibal Lecter adaptation was also its strangest, and its most nightmarish. As the directing became increasingly self-conscious, lyrical and unconcerned with anything as boring as "making sense," Hannibal somehow became even more of a fever dream. And through its extended Italian arc, a version of Red Dragon, and peak emotional and sexual tension between Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen, Hannibal warped the boundaries of narrative television as if they never even existed.

iZombie (The CW) There's been a lot of talk about great second seasons on TV this year, but iZombie has taken maybe the biggest leap of all. Throwing nearly every cliche genre on the air (zombies, cops, forensic medical drama, zippy dialogue) into a blender has somehow produced an effortless blend of engaging procedural stories, long-term plotting, and some of the most interesting, layered characters on TV. Also, zombie puns. Lots of zombie puns.

Jessica Jones (Netflix) Finally, a superhero show that feels like it's actually about something. Jessica Jones isn't perfect—the pacing is a little sluggish at times—but it's a compelling, brutal treatment of the consequences of superpowers. The conflict between Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones and David Tennant's Kilgrave is mesmerizing. Best of all, the show is fiercely confident in its assumption of womanhood (and subsequent hilarious lack of respect for men).

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) At any given moment, it's easy to forget that TV is made to be disposable, and none more than late night. Last Week Tonighthas made itself a more permanent presence by stepping up its commitment to unsung political causes, giving issues room to breath, and simply making learning about the many horrors of the world… funny.

Mr. Robot (USA) Nothing on TV reflected the near-dystopian elements of 2015 quite like Mr. Robot. A dizzying, claustrophobic trip through modern capitalism and the fragility of the human mind, the show could easily have crumbled under the weight of its ambition. But anchored by Rami Malek's riveting central performance, gripping filmmaking, and a plot that retained coherence even at its twistiest, Mr. Robot managed to make the political both pleasurable and painfully personal.

Steven Universe (Cartoon Network) The most exciting narrative, precisely controlled world, and best-realized characters on TV aren't on premium cable or streaming services, they're on Steven Universe. No other show could pull condense an entire season of TV into two minutes. No other show could tell such lovely, metaphorical stories about loss and parenting. And no other show could have badass fight scenes soundtracked by calls for emotional intimacy.

Transparent (Amazon) There are quite a few shows aiming for the emotionally resonant, yearning vibe of a certain kind of indie film, but they should all take lessons from Jill Soloway's sensual, empathetic, often painfully awkward show. The second season of Transparent is denser, more surreal, and an unequivocal step up—and it allows matriarch Maura to simply be one of the Pfeffermans: funny, hurting, and downright obnoxious. Spend your holidays with this family.

UnREAL (Lifetime) It turns out TV about making reality TV can be just as juicy as the real thing. UnREAL, which focuses on the producers of a Bachelor-type series, stares directly into the abyss of Hollywood's treatment of women and the often-insane demands placed on the people who keep the machine running. Come for a thoughtful institutional critique, stay for the dramatic, compelling relationship between a frayed producer (Shiri Appleby) and her demanding mentor (Constance Zimmer).

You're the Worst (FX) Mental illness, broken relationships, and an unflinching look at the misery of adulthood… sounds like a great comedy, right? In its second season, You're the Worst upped its emotional ante, diving headlong into a story about depression and its effect on romantic partners—and it's somehow even funnier. Maybe that's because there are so many memorable crazies surrounding the central couple, from the dethroned bro-king Vernon to rappers in a beef yielding comic dividends so disproportionate they should be illegal.

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It feels boring to complain about how much good TV there is now. After all, it’s always better to have more quality than less, right? And few people in other pop culture areas have labored under the illusion that they could be consuming everything—not even close. But maybe anxiety about "Peak TV" is less about . It makes it harder for any one show to rise above the din of competitors (many, many of which range from "decent" to "actually pretty good") and make an impression. We only have so much attention to give to cop shows, only so much for comedies, and let’s not even get started on Netflix binges. It takes a lot to unite an audience behind a show, and even more to expand one.

So selecting anything becomes, in part, the product of individual taste and experience—everyone misses something. Our favorite shows of 2015 deserve the applause, because they’ve managed to earn viewer’s trust. Some of them are immensely popular, and some of them could use a few million or so new viewers, but all of them have inspired a level of passion that should serve as a guidepost to anyone trying to become ruler of the mountain. Check them out (in alphabetical order) above.